Adjustable feed assembly



Feb. 13, 1968 A. M. BENNE 3,368,437

ADJUSTABLE FEED ASSEMBLY Filed Nov. 15, 1965 s Shets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.ARTHUR M. BENNET 0 MAM ATTORNEYS Feb. 13, 1968 A. M. BENNET 3,368,437

ADJUSTABLE FEED ASSEMBLY Filed Nov. 15, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.ARTHUR M. BENNET %MJZW ATTORNEYS Feb. 13, 1968 A. M. BENNET 3,

ADJUSTABLE FEED ASSEMBLY Filed Nov. 15, 1965 s Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. 3

INVENTOR. ARTHUR M. BENNET ATTORNEYS United States Patent O" 3,368,437ADJUSTABLE FEED ASSEMBLY Arthur M. Bennet, Pittsford, N.Y., assignor toErdle Perforating Company, Rochester, N.Y., a corporation of New YorkFiled Nov. 15, 1965, Ser. No. 507,767 2 Claims. (Cl. 83-244) ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE I provide an attachment for a punch press whereby thefeed of the stock or sheet metal to be punched may be varied by a simpleadjustment without interrupting the operation of the machine.

This invention relates to punch presses and more particularly to anattachment for a punch press whereby the feed of the stock or sheetmetal to be punched may be varied without interrupting the operation ofthe machine.

Punch presses are conventionally equipped with a bed over which the workis fed and a reciprocating ram or head which carries the punchingelements. The punches are usually removably fitted in the head inaccordance with the desired pattern of punchings desired in the sheetmetal. The head is driven from a shaft by eccentrics which are in turndriven from a motor, the shaft carrying a flywheel for storing up energybetween successive punches. Usually the driving motor is of the variablespeed type so that the speed of reciprocation of the punching head maybe varied and coordinated with the speed at which the work is fed to andthrough the machine.

In punch presses of the type with which my invention is concerned, theshaft which drives or reciprocates the head carries a circular member ordisc to which a pitman is eccentrically connected. The other end of thepitman is operatively connected to the feed rolls which feed the work orsheet metal over the bed.

It is, of course, necessary in order to reproduce a desired pattern ofpunchings in the work, that the speed of the press head be coordinatedwith the feed of the stock. In all machines with which I am familiar, achange in the feed of the stock requires a shut down of the machine tovary the speed of feeding the stock through the machine. Gftentimes thework which a particular machine may produce is limited due to the factthat more time would be lost in shutting down the machine to increasethe feed than is lost by using a slower speed of feed than could beused. This is particularly true on short runs. Usually, in the machineswith which I am familiar, it is necesssary to change the location of thepitman with respect to the drive shaft, that is, change its eccentricitywhich must be done by adjustment of nut and bolt connections between theend of the pitman and the drive shaft.

As will be appreciated from the above, while in the machines of theprior art it has been possible to change the feed, it was necessary toshut down the machine to adjust the feed. his, of course, necessary tocoordinate the speed of the ram with the feed of the work, and in thecase of small runs, usually it was less costly in time to leave the headreciprocating at a lesser speed than the potential speed rather than toadjust the feed to produce the maximum number of punched sheets during agiven period of time.

An object of my invention is to provide an attachment for punch presseswhereby feed of the sheet metal or stock to be punched may be varied bya simple adjustment while the machine is in operation.

Another object of my invention is to provide an adjustable feed for apunch press whereby the speed of reciproice cation of the punches may beset for maxim-um production with the particular thickness or characterof stock being manufacture and which may be readily adjusted so as toadjust the feed of the stock to the machine without shut ting down themachine.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be particularly setforth in the claims and will be apparent from the following description,when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a conventional punch press with the novelfeed changing attachment or assembly of my invention mounted thereon;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view on an enlargedscale taken substantially onthe line 22 of FIG. 1 in the direction indicated by the arrows; and

FIG. '3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIG. 1 in thedirection indicated by the arrows.

The punch press to which the feeding attachment of my invention may beapplied is conventional in most respects and comprises a frame 11 onwhich a work bed is mounted over which the material to be punched,indented, or otherwise cut, is fed. At 12 I have shown work being fedover the bed between two pairs of feed rolls 13. Similar feed rolls arelocated on the other side of the machine. v

The head or ram of the press (not shown) carries a series of puncheswhich are arranged in a predetermined pattern in the head as determinedby the pattern of punchings or other deformations of the materialdesired. The head is driven by a variable speed motor 14 mounted at thetop of the machine which through a pulley 16 and V-belt 17 drives alarge pulley 18. The large pulley 18 may take the form of a fiy-wheelfor the purpose of storing up energy between successive punches.

The pulley 18 drives a shaft, the contourof which is shown at 19 towhich the head of the press is eccentrically connected so as toreciprocate the head, together with the punches, to produce a successiveseries of punchings in the sheet metal. By suitable means the motorspeed may be varied to increase or decrease the speed of op eration ofthe head to conform to the thickness of the work and the particularmetal being punched. In general, various metals and thickness thereofmay be punched at certain maximum speeds. The setting of the speed ofthe motor is usually such as to obtain a maximum work output.

Mounted on the end of the shaft is a plate or disc 21. In theconventional punch press, a pitman or connecting rod is connected fromthe disc 21 to gearing which drives the feed rolls. This connection isby means of a-roller 22 eccentrically mounted on the disc 21 whichreceives a forked end on the pitman. Suitable bolts (not shown) clampthe forked end of the pitman with respect to the roller. When it wasnecessary to make an adjustment in the speed of the feed rolls, it wasnecessary to stop the machine, loosen the aforementioned bolts, andreconnect the pitman to the roller 22 in a manner such as to decrease orincrease the effective length of the pitman. Not only was it necessaryto shut down the machine to vary the feed, but also insofar as I amaware, determination of the exact feed speed was a cut and try method.

In the machine of my invention, the roller 22 carried by the disc 21 isconnected to a pitman 23 of relatively Patented Feb. 13, 1968 3 shortlength. The lower end of the pitman 23 is fixed, as indicated at 24(FIG. 2), to a bearing element 26. A stub shaft 31 having overhangingends is oscillatable in the bearing 26. The outer overhanging end 32 hasa collar 33 held in position by a sew screw 34.

The inner overhanging end 36 of the stub shaft 31 carries a block 37which while it oscillates with the assembly, as will presently appear,is fixed against any other movement. The block 37 is provided with ways38 (see FIG. 3) which extend from one end of the block to the other, asindicated by the dotted line 39 (FIG. 2). A second bearing 41 is fixedto a stanchion 27 and carries a pin or stub shaft 42. The stanchion ismounted on a plate 28 carried by supports or gussets 3L welded to theframe.

Fixed to one projecting end of the stub shaft 42 is a collar 43 held inposition by a set screw 44. The other end of the stub shaft 42 projectsbeyond the end of the bearing 41 as shown at 46 and is loosely receivedin the block 37. The projecting end of the stub shaft 46 constitutes apivot about which the block may oscillate as the pitman reciprocates androtates around the roller 22. However, in the particular arrangementshown, the pin or stub shaft 42 is fixed to the block and the block andpin or stub shaft 42 oscillate in the bearing 41.

A slide 47 is movable in ways 38 and carries a slide member 51 havingbifurcated ends 52. The bifurcated ends 52 straddle a bearing element53. The bearing element 53 rotatably receives a stub shaft 54. One end56 of the stub shaft 54 extends into a bushing opening in the slide 47and the other end of the stub shaft 54 extends through the arms 52 ofthe slide member 51 and through the bearing 53. Fixed to the bearing 53(FIG. 3) is a second pitman 48 Which is connected eccentrically by meansincluding a roller 49 to a gear which connects through a gear train 50shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1 to the feed rolls 13.

The slide member 51 has a bushinged bore 56 for the reception of a pivotpin 57. As will be apparent, slide member 51 is adapted to oscillateabout the pivot pin 57. Thus, the entire assembly is adapted tooscillate about the pivots 42 and 57 which it will be noted are in axialalignment. One end of the pivot pin 57 projects beyond the slide member51 and is fixed, as shown at 58, in a bore in a second slide 59. Theslide 59 has a threaded bore 61 for the reception of a feed screw orspindle 62, the screw passing through a bore in the pivot pin 57.

Fixed to the plate 28 by means of screws 63 is a support 64 having ways66 for the reception of the slide 59. The feed screw 62 extends throughthe slide through an opening in a cap 70 secured to the support 64 byscrews, into an opening formed in a crank 68 having a handpiece 69. Acollar 71 on the crank 68 is adapted to receive a set screw 72 to fixthe crank with respect to the feed screw 62.

' Mounted on the other side of the fixed support 64 is a second cap 76held in position by screws 77. The end of the feed screw projects fromthe fixed support through the cap 76 and is threaded to receive nuts 78and a washer. Upon loosening the nuts 78 the feed screw may be rotatedby means of the crank 68-69. In general, as viewed in FIG. 2, rotationof the crank in a direction such as to move the feed screws to the leftdecreases the amplitude of feed. As will be understood from thepreceding description, movement of the feed screw to the left, as viewedin FIG. 2, carries with it the entire assembly be- 4 tween the pin orstub shaft 42 and the fixed support 64. This assembly can also rockabout the aligned pins 42 and 57 as the pitmans are actuated.

For the purpose of accurate setting, the fixed support 64 may beprovided with a scale 81 along which a pointer 82 fixed to the slide 59moves as the crank 68-69 is rotated to enable the operator to. set themachine for a given spacing between punchings. After the machine hasbeen set, a clamp 83 fixed in a bore in the fixed support 64 may bethreaded into engagement with the slide to lock the slide with respectto the fixed support.

While I have shown and described the preferred form of mechanism of myinvention it will be apparent that various modifications and changes maybe made therein particularly in the form and relation of parts, withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appendedclaims.

I claim:

1. A punch press wherein a bed carries the sheet metal to be punched andpunching elements are carried by a punch press head driven by a suitableprime mover and means including a shaft are provided for feeding thesheet metal over the bed, a variable feed for the sheet metal comprisingthe combination of:

(a) an element connected to the shaft so as to rotate therewith;

(b) a pitman having one end eccentrically pivoted to said member;

(c) a block having ways fixed with respect to said pitman;

(d) a pivot about which said block oscillates as said pitman isactuated;

(e) a slide movable in said ways and oscillating with said block;

(f) a second pitman having one end eccentrically connected to thefeeding means for the sheet metal and other end pivoted to said slideand oscillating therewith;

(g) a second slide carrying the pivot between the first slide and thesecond pitman;

(h) a member fixed to the machine having ways for the reception of saidsecond slide;

(i) a pivot connection between said second slide and said fixed memberso that said second slide is free to oscillate; and

(j) means including a hand operated member for shifting said secondslide while the press is in operation to vary the feed of the sheetmetal.

2. A punch press in accordance with claim 1 in which said last mentionedmeans includes threading means between said second slide and said fixedmember.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 488,324 12/1892 Rodecker 83-245 X601,398 3/1898 Long et al. 83-244 1,336,605 4/1920 Becker 83-2451,591,418 7/1926 Ferguson 226-142 1,935,780 11/1933 McChesney et al.226-142 2,514,261 7/1950 Schelfey 226-142 JAMES M. MEISTER, PrimaryExaminer.

